U women gameday: Gophers vs. Illinois

Game preview: The Gophers will try to end the regular season with a two-game winning streak against the ninth-place Illini. Minnesota already has clinched at least a fifth-place finish and a first-day bye at this week's conference tournament. But the Gophers could rise as high as the third seed should they win and both Iowa (which plays at Northwestern) and Michigan State (which plays host to Purdue) lose. That would create a three-way tie with Minnesota, Iowa and MSU and the Gophers would hold the tiebreaker. Minnesota has won seven of the past nine games vs. the Illini. Illinois has lost three in a row.

Players to watch: Emily Fox had perhaps her best game of the season in a 15-point victory at Michigan State; her 20-point effort led four players in double figures. Freshman Kiara Buford is coming off a strong, 13-point effort. At Michigan State, Katie Ohm had three three-pointers for the first time in 10 games. ... Illini junior Jenna Smith, a former Bloomington Kennedy standout, needs only four blocks to set the Illinois career record. She needs 19 points for 1,500 in her career and 22 to reach No. 9 on the Illini all-time scoring list. She has scored at least 10 points in 36 consecutive games.

KENT YOUNGBLOOD